Conductor securing device



April 3, 1934. H. 8, WHITE CONDUCTOR SECURING DEVICE Filed April 27,1932 INVENTOR. HARRY 5. W///7'E A TTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED srA-Tss 1,953,379 CONDUCTOR, SECURINGDEVICE Harry B. White, Canton, Ohio, assignor' to The Hoover Company,North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 27,1932,Serial No. 60'l,689

Claims; (Cl. 247-13) This invention relates toattachment devices for usewith electrical conductors, and more particularly to structures foranchoring to a tool handle or other hollow member the cable or con- 5ductor cord containing the wires by which an electrical connection isestablished thereto. It is a usual practice to embed conducting wires ina.

round, flexible cable of soft rubbenand it is also a usual practice toprovide means secured to the sharp bends adjacent the point ofattachment,

and to provide a strain relief member to hold the conductor cord frommovement, and thus prevent 5 a pull on the conductor cord from beingtrans- I mitted to the free ends of the wires and by them to the devicesto which they are electrically connected.

Heretofore, a cable'or cord reenforcing mem- 3 ber has been widely usedwhich is' in the, form of a helical wire spring closely surrounding thecord, it being secured at one end to the base member and extending asubstantial distance therefrom.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a unitary memb'erwhich will actboth to secure Af'urther objectof the invention istoprovide such a device which may be readily and-quickly is detachablyheld in place by screws 20, the

assembled upon the cord, and which -may be readily clamped upon orloosened from the cord; without the use of a wrench or other-tool Stillfurther objects are to provide such a device which can be economicallymanufactured, which will be efficient and durable in use, and which willpresent a-rninimum, ofparts which project from the wall to which ,thecord is atprojections.

Still further objects of the invention and various novel features willbe apparent from the following specification when considered in viewwhich Figure 1 is a view in side elevation ofa suction tached, so as toavoid unsightly or encumbering of the disclosure of the accompanyingdrawing, in

horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

' Figure '4 .is a fragmentary view in vertical transverse section of thehandle, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2; 1

Figure 5 is a detail view in perspective of one of the parts shown inFigures 2, 3 and 4; and

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 2.

' The invention is shown and disclosed herein as an embodiment which isused for attaching a conductor cord to a suction cleaner, but it will beapparent that theinvention is equally applicable for the attachment of acord to any electrical device, to the cover plate ofan outlet box, or inany instance in which it isdesired to attach a conductor cord to a basemember.

The suction cleaner, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a main body portionindicated generally at 11, having a hollow tubular handle 12 which ispivotally connected to the main body at 13, a dust filtering bag 14being connected to the outlet of the cleaner body and supported at itsupper end from the handle 12. An electric motor 15 is mounted on themain body 11 and is supplied with current by the conductor cord 16, itsoperation being controlled by an electric switch, the handle of which isindicated at 1'7.

As shown in detail in Figures 2 to 4, the tubular handle 15 ispreferably provided with an opening 18, which is closed by a. plate 19,which switch 21 being preferably supported on the plate 19, andtheconductor 16 being anchored to such plate, as such arrangementfacilitates assembly and connection of the wires to the switch and tothe motor.

The switch 21 is preferably of the tumbler type, having'an outermetallic frame 22 provided with a neck'23 which extends through anopening 24 in the plate 19 to receive hexagonal nuts 25, which engagethe inner and outer faces of the plate 19, the outer nut 25 beingpreferably countersunk in a depression 26, to present a flush structurefrom which only the switch handle protrudes.

- Adjacent to the switch 21, and preferably below it, the plate 19 isprovided with an opening 27 surrounded by an inwardly bent flange 28, ashort tubular member '29 being -suitably secured in such opening toextend inwardly into the tubular handle. As shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5,the member 29 may be conveniently formed with a circumferential bead 29aengaging the inner edge of the flange 28, with the adjacent end engagedin the opening 27 and expanded against the flange 28 to secure thetubular part 29 in place. It will be apparent that many other methods ofattaching the member 29 may be utilized, such as welding, riveting orotherwise securing it to the plate 19, or that it may be integral withthe plate 19, and it will also be evident that it is not necessary thatthe member 29 be tubular or be in one piece, since a plurality ofinwardly projecting members could be used to serve the same function.

The combined cord clamping and cord-reenforcing member 30 is in the formof a helically wound wire of spring material, the terminal turnsindicated at 31 being preferably wound close together or in contact witheach other. At a point adjacent the inner end of the spring member 30. aprojection 32 is formed, preferably by bending outwardly an integralpart of one turn of the wire, as shown in detail in Figure 6, and at itsinner end the spring 30 is provided with a projection 33, preferablyformed by bending outwardly the end of the wire and forming it into aloop, as shown best in Figure 3. The spacing of successive turns, andthe internal diameter, of the portion of the spring 30 betweenprojections 32 and 33, are preferably the same as those of the body ofthe spring, when the spring is in normal condition before assembling.The tubular member 29 is formed with a longitudinally extending slot 34to receive the projection 32, and at its inner end is formed with one ormore bayonet slots 35, one of which may be formed by providing a slotextending laterally from the slot 34 as shown at 36, such bayonet slotsbeing adapted to receive a portion of theprojection 33, inside of thelooped end.

To attach the conductor cord 16 to the plate 19, the spring 30 is pushedoutwardly through the tube 29, and the conductor cord 16 is slidinwardly through the spring 30. After the projection 32 has beenpositioned in the slot 34, and is thereby held from rotation, theprojection 33 is rotated relative to the projection 32, to further windand thereby contract the intermediate coils of the wire against theconductor cord 16 after which the projection 33 is pushed axiallyoutward and engaged in one of the slots 35 or 36. It will be apparentthat the conductor cord will thus be tightly clamped by the portion ofthe spring 30 between projections 32 and 33, and that the conductor cord16 will be reenforced against bending by the spring action of that por-'tion of the spring 30 between the projection 32 and the terminal turns31, theclamping and reenforcing means being thus formed in a single wiremember which can be economically manufactured. It will also be apparentthat the conductor cord 16 will be effectively anchored against outwardmovement, so that it will be impossible for tension to be placed by thewires 22 upon the screws or other means by which the wires are connectedelectrically to the switch or motor. It will alsobe evident that thespring member 30 can be engaged and operated to clamping position, andcan be disengaged to release the conductor cord 16, by using the fingersalone without the use of a. wrench or other mechanical device, and thatthe spring 30 will be secured in place without the use of any otherparts which project from the outer surface of the plate 19.

I claim:

1. A resilient member for reinforcing a flexible conductor cord andsecuring it to a base member, comprising a helically wound wire springhaving a rigid projection extending outwardly therefrom intermediate itsends and having a bent portion at one end thereof forming an abutmentaxially spaced from said projection.

2. A resilient member for reinforcing a flexible conductor cord andsecuring it to a base member, comprising a helically wound wire springhaving an integral loop extended outwardly from one turn of said springto form an abutment and having an end portion bent from the helicaldirection to act as an abutment, whereby the turns intermediate saidabutments may be contracted by relative circumferential movement of saidabutments.

3. In combination with a base member and a flexible conductor cord, ofmeans for reinforcing the cord and anchoring the cord to the basemember, said base member having an opening therein through which saidcord extends, comprising a helical spring closely surrounding said cordand extending through said opening and to a substantial distance fromsaid base member, said base member and said spring having abutments toprevent relative axial movement in one direction and relative rotativemovement in one direction, a projection on said spring spaced from theabutment thereon and an abutment on said base member cooperating withsaid projection to prevent rotation of said projection in one direction.

4. In combination with a base member and a flexible conductor cord, ofmeans for detachably securing said cord to the base member, comprising atubular portion on said base member, and a helical spring surroundingthe cord and having a portion thereof within said tubular portion, saidtubular portion having a longitudinally extending slot therein, saidhelical spring having a rigid outwardly projecting lug thereon engagedin said slot and a projection spaced from said lug and engageable withsaid tubular portion, whereby that portion of said spring between saidlug and said projection may be wound to contract it into clampingrelationship with the cord and held in contracted condition by saidtubular portion.

5. In combination with a hollow base member and a flexible conductorcord, of means for detachably securing said cord to said base member,comprising a plate secured to said base member, an inwardly extendingtubular portion through which the cord extends carried by said plate,and a helical wire spring surrounding said cord within said tubularportion and having axially spaced outwardly extending rigid projections,said tubular portion having Openings therein to receive said projectionsand hold them from relative circumferential movement, whereby the turnsof said spring between said projections can be con tracted into clampingengagement with the cord and held latched in contracted condition byengagement of said projections with said tubular portion.

HARRY B. WHITE.

